‘We rise by lifting others’ it’s rightly said. We are all taught to help others whenever and wherever possible since our childhood. After all, there’s no greater deed than lending a helping hand to those in need. And when you do something for others, good karma comes to you in one or the other.
A plumber from Britain recently hit headlines for his selfless act of kindness and compassion towards an ailing woman. James Anderson issued a zero-charge bill for fixing a boiler at a 91-year-old lady’s house.
A Twitter user had shared a copy of his zero-invoice which went viral within no time with people from around the world heaping praise on the plumber for his kind gesture.
This is the invoice from plumber, James Anderson in Burnley after fixing a lady's boiler – gives me a little hope for humanity after all pic.twitter.com/zddMJO2f4a
— ProudDevonian (@PDevonian) September 15, 2019
“No charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24-hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible,” read a statement on the bill.
This isn’t the first time that Anderson has aided someone with his free services. He has helped 2,389 people since March 2017 to be precise, reports CNN.
The idea of helping others struck him when he saw another engineer in the area ‘manipulating’ an elderly person.
“It got me thinking about other elderly and vulnerable people — we need to do something more to help the people who need it most,” Anderson said.
“A lot of elderly and disabled people don’t like asking for assistance and if they can’t afford something like fixing the boiler, they might not do it and get into trouble. We are there to take that worry away,” he further added.
So, he set up a plumbing company that helps elderly and disabled people with free services. His company is called DEPHER – Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair. It’s a not-for-profit company which he is running since March 2017.
But Anderson also mentioned that providing free services was sometimes turned difficult for him especially when his funds fell short. At times it was a struggle to provide free services so he lowered the cost instead. Anderson said he gives a 25% discount even when the funding is running dry.
His free services have, however, gotten Aderson into huge debts. He currently owes around £8,000 (Rs. 7 lakh) to the bank. Anderson said the things are under control as he manages to pay around £100 (Rs. 8,800) installments to the bank every month.
Moved by Anderson’s story and his dedication to aid others, people decided to help the gentleman and pitched in to raise funds for him. Rs 70 lakh were raised and donated to the plumber to show support for his selfless act.
https://twitter.com/SeanDylanPat/status/1173764096057065472?s=20
The world needs more people like this kind man.
— Barbara Sue Attwood (@BSAttwoodUK) September 16, 2019
https://twitter.com/GKenna49/status/1173487925616623618?s=20
“As long as I have enough money to fill up the tank in my car, I will be there to try and help the people who need it,” he said.
It appears the man’s actions have inspired others in emulating his ideals. He has been approached by those desirous of offering such services to ailing seniors worldwide. “People are talking about doing it in America, France, and Australia, and they’re all going to contact me to get advice and guidance as to how to do it in their countries,” Anderson told CNN.
“Hopefully… we can bring all communities together for one common cause across the planet, so everybody who’s elderly and disabled, not just in the UK, can benefit from something like this in society,” he said.
When asked if he gets something back from his selfless service to the people, Anderson said,
“It makes me feel human, humble and a little giddy inside… I want to expand this service across the country. I will never give up the fight.”
Addressing James as an angel dressed as a plumber, the daughter of the 91-year-old woman who he helped said, “James is an absolute star, it was overwhelming to see that it cost nothing.”
In a world full of cruelty, people like Anderson certainly come as a ray of hope for many. We definitely need more people like him in the world!